I remember when Ping stopped by the house and told me that I would eventually have to re-home my tangs... And after seeing them in Hawaii I can see the truth there. Simply put, a 17" fish will be very unhappy, IMO, in something so small as a 180 gallon tank.

The OP wasn't wrong... But IMO he wasn't right either. It all depends on what size the fish is, in regard to the size of the tank he's in. In just about every tank, save for Jose's 600 gallon FOWLR, no one should have any tangs because they WILL eventually outgrow their homes.

I think Ace, when he relinquished his eel, donated it to sea world or the zoo where the creature would have plenty of space.

I've always thought that when I get rid of the tangs when they're too large, I would follow Ace's example.